UPDATE (3/5/12): This comment from Some Assembly Required was on point:
"Thumbs up on hats, love them, wear them all the time. For cooler weather, I have wool flat caps in tweed patterns; a couple of Stormy Kromers (made in Michigan) for when it's colder; a "crushable" fedora-style hat like the one above that I got at Orvis (also made in USA); a couple of Panamas for summer to protect my head from the sun; and yes, a couple of ball caps, which I'm most likely to wear while walking the dog.
One thing though: NEVER WEAR A HAT INDOORS. When you go into a restaurant, your workplace, a movie theater, etc., you need to remove your hat. Not doing so makes you look like what my grandparents used to refer to as a "greenhorn" (a person with no class or manners). A lot of guys, especially younger ones, don't seem to be aware of this, probably because no one ever told them (and because hats, while on the upswing, haven't been as popular as they were in the past).
Well said, sir.
So I mention this not to put anyone down, but because I want guys to look dignified and dashing, not clueless and ignorant."
We're on a need-to-know basis, and I need to know: What are your thoughts on hats?
I bought this hat over the summer and couldn't figure out a way on how to wear it. Its particular style is unique—probably something a hipster lead singer in a folk band would wear. Guilty.
It's a hybrid between a safari, panama, fedora and a trilby. You tell me, menswear geeks. The tag says Banana Republic Outdoor Safari Collection, so we'll run with that and call it a safari hat. I snagged it for a dollar up in Andersonville one summer's eve. Brown Elephant, y'all. They've got some great digs from time to time.
I decided to play with some different ways you could wear it. All seemed appropriate considering the brim was a bit wider and rather flexible. Perhaps it's a homburg style, as this Art of Manliness article on hat etiquette suggests. Either way, I dig it and have worn it on occasion. I paired it back to some other textures and styling to give it a folky, pioneer kind of vibe. I mean, you totally love Mumford & Sons. So shut up.
First, are hats actually on the rise? Do you wear one?
- Ballcaps on the weekend?
- Fedoras to brunch?
- Chef hat in the kitchen?
- Newsboy around the office, you writer, you.
Also, can we pause for a minute and vow to not give the guy a hard time if he's wearing a fedora. Fedoras are good in my book. And no, you don't have to mention Jason Mraz* and say I look like him because I'm wearing a fedora every time I'm wearing one, okay? Jerk.
Thanks for snapping some quick snaps on a lunch break, Amy!
*(Seth's note: If you are wearing a fedora, you look like Jason Mraz.)
*(Seth's note: If you are wearing a fedora, you look like Jason Mraz.)
I love to wear hats, they need to come back in my opinion. Personally, if I may say... I like them better when they are pulled closer to the forehead, as shown in the 4th pic :)
ReplyDeleteLove to wear summer hats, especially my panama fedora. More Miami than midwest-style, I suppose, but I'm a big cigar smoker.
ReplyDeleteAlso wear my Goorin flatcaps as I can throughout the year. And I have a big ol' bomber hat for those REALLY cold winter days.
I've seen this hat referred to as a "crusher" specifically as it can be rolled and packed in a rucksack. I've got a few from an old-time hat-maker in Hartford, CT.
ReplyDeleteGood thrift score! Seems like it came from the Banana Republic's of yore, when their store decor was like a scene out of "Jewel in the Crown."
Thumbs up on hats, love them, wear them all the time: for cooler weather I have wool flat caps in tweed patterns; a couple of Stormy Kromers (made in Michigan) for when it's colder; a "crushable" fedora-style hat like the one above that I got at Orvis (also made in USA); a couple of Panamas for summer to protect my head from the sun, and yes, a couple of ball caps, which I'm most likely to wear while walking the dog.
ReplyDeleteOne thing though: NEVER WEAR A HAT INDOORS. When you go into a restaurant, your workplace, a movie theater, etc., you need to remove your hat. Not doing so makes you look like what my grandparents used to refer to as a "greenhorn" (a person with no class or manners). A lot of guys, especially younger ones, don't seem to be aware of this, probably because no one ever told them (and because hats, while on the upswing, haven't been as popular as they were in the past).
So I mention this not to put anyone down, but because I want guys to look dignified and dashing, not clueless and ignorant.
Amen. (Re: wearing hats indoors.)
DeleteJeff, you looked fantastic as always and it was a pleasure photographing you. Not that my opinion matters, but I love the way men look in hats.
ReplyDeleteHats are a yes. And what a perfect hat you have picked up. As a girl, when I see a guy wearing a unique hat I figure he not only is super stylish but very confident-- and that actually goes for girls as well. Hats like your pioneer/fedora are my favorite: it has a retro, timeless, classic feel, and I love that.
ReplyDeleteAlthough there is or can be much controversy over the word Fedora, we at Salmagundi Boston, refer to any hat with a crown and a brim to be a fedora. Usually because the hat is then classified by the shape of its crown and/or the size of the brim. That said, your hat specifically is a center crease fedora. It looks as if it needs to be re-blocked because the center crease is popping up in the middle of the crown, an easy fix. However, don't get too picky on the shape of that particular hat, because as previously mentioned it is a "crusher" or "roller" meaning it is meant to be crushed and "packable". Which in all honesty any felt hat can be crushed, it is the fur hats that will last the longest though.
ReplyDeleteIt is my belief that hats look the best after they have been banged up and worn in a bit!
If interested in fine headwear check out Salmagundiboston.com
dapperedasshit.tumblr.com
As a long-time brimmed hat wearer, the touchpoints I operate on are:
ReplyDelete1. Be comfortable in the hat. If you feel uncomfortable wearing the hat it comes across more strongly than it does with nearly any other accessory. The more you wear hats, the easier it becomes. I started with my "perfect hat" fedora and have worked up to pulling off a beret with confidence.
2. High quality hats are worth the money. They age very well and actually feel better on your head. They act as temperature buffer for your whole body, especially in the fall and spring.